Contentious proved most impressive among the opening weekend of two-year-olds at Los Alamitos.

© Los Alamitos

By Orlando Gutierrez

LOS ALAMITOS, CA–MARCH 23, 2026–Jose Santos and Manuel Chavez’s Contentious proved to be the most impressive juvenile during the opening weekend for 2-year-olds at Los Alamitos. A full sister to 2024 Governor’s Cup Derby winner Mask Mandate, the filly cruised to a 1 1/4-length victory in her 220-yard debut on Sunday night.

Ridden by Irving Lara for trainer Jose Flores, the daughter of Favorite Cartel—out of the AQHA Champion Aged Mare Quirky—flew out of the gate to establish a daylight advantage by the midway point.

She finished powerfully to extend her lead in the final yards, stopping the clock in :11.976. Bred by Steve Burns, Contentious was the only juvenile across the weekend’s five maiden races to break the 12-second barrier.

In addition to her derby winning brother, the blue-blooded filly is also a half-sister to Shiny New, who is scheduled to compete in next Saturday’s Grade 1 Los Alamitos Oaks.

Contentious entered her debut off a bullet gate work of :12.2 on the morning of March 4. She is expected to begin her stakes schedule soon, as she is eligible for the Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity trials on April 19 and the Grade 1 Ed Burke Memorial Futurity trials in late May.

Ed Allred’s Irately, by Golden Boi, finished second, while Cowboy Legacy 123—hailing from the family of AQHA Dam of Distinction Fortune Of Delight—ran third.

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